Best of Boston Weddings 2016

Delivering the latest in style, inspiration, helpful tips and tricks, and everything else you need to know to plan the perfect New England wedding.

The State Room. / Photograph courtesy of Longwood Events

Venues

You’ve set the date. Now find the perfect spot to tie the knot.

Best Ballroom, CityState Room

Perched 33 stories above the city with glass walls overlooking the Custom House Tower, the State Room is a blank canvas with personalization options galore. Chef David Blessing, meanwhile, serves up customized menus that are as breathtaking as the views—think tuna poke in mini cones and adorable s’mores tartlets.

When the sisters behind this Foxboro venue lost the building to a fire two years ago, they vowed to rebuild. In September 2015 they unveiled their stunningly modern interpretation of the traditional ballroom: a white-on-white dream world featuring cathedral ceilings, sleek crystal chandeliers, flowy curtains, and windows overlooking a lake and pine trees.

This 2,100-acre wonderland of woodlands and beaches offers three gorgeous ways to make waves on your wedding day: by the sea, in a historical barn, or on the rolling grounds of the 1920s Great House on Castle Hill.

When your love is a work of art, there’s no better place to celebrate. Say “I do” in the Koch Gallery surrounded by masterpieces, then continue the party in the glass-enclosed Shapiro Family Courtyard or the two-level Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, designed by architect I. M. Pei.

With views of the sheep- and cattle-dotted countryside from every angle, this Groton retreat oozes pastoral charm. The pièce de résistance is the century-old post-and-beam barn, which can be styled with Gibbet Hill’s own furnishings and décor, from antique tables to vintage crates.

The gurgle of the cast-bronze fountain in the Italianate open-air courtyard. The glow of the green glass lamps on Bates Hall’s long reading tables. Set the scene for your own epic love story at the BPL. With an array of dramatic party spaces and creative, personalized cuisine from the Catered Affair, the Renaissance Revival treasure is less library and more fairy-tale romance in the making.

With floor-to-ceiling windows and a string-lit terrace showcasing Green Monster vistas, Hotel Commonwealth’s new event space hits it out of the park. Part of the hotel’s recent $50 million makeover, the just-built wing is now the perfect spot for both Sox fans and culinary-minded couples to celebrate their love: The catering menu features dishes inspired by on-site hot spots Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar.

Want to get away? Get hitched in one of these destination party spots.

Best Cape CodWequassett Resort and Golf Club

Imagine warm sun, soft breezes, and plush five-star accommodations. Sounds like a dream honeymoon, right? At Wequassett, it’ll also be the backdrop for your wedding. The azure water beckons along the ceremony-perfect Croquet Lawn. The canopy-covered Garden Terrace—a stunning spot for canapés—opens up to Pleasant Bay panoramas. And the Pavilion ballroom brings all of those vistas inside.

Down a dirt road in Menemsha, the romantic, bucolic-chic Beach Plum Inn has something for everyone: sweeping water views, pretty gardens perfect for an outdoor summer ceremony, and even roaming chickens. The on-site restaurant, meanwhile, creates custom dinner menus that put local meat, seafood, and produce front and center.

Classic New England elegance meets modern luxury at the Nantucket Hotel + Resort, where the recently renovated Grand Ballroom stuns with crisp white walls and oak flooring. A poolside terrace, complete with outdoor fire pits and lounge seating, is prime real estate for ceremonies and cocktail hours. Should you choose to swap vows on one of the nearby beaches, the hotel will ferry guests over in an antique green bus and red fire truck. Now that’s what we call island hospitality.

Grazing sheep! Vegetable gardens! Lush vistas as far as the eye can see! This living Shaker museum, a National Historic Landmark, couldn’t possibly be any more Berkshires. A seasonal tent offers space for up to 200, but the main attraction is the property’s 19th-century round stone barn, a dramatic, raw space that can be completely transformed for your party. Oh, and did we mention the cocktail-hour hayrides?